Elf Adventure
by Morisil
Summary: Two female elves, Elisil and Helcanor, go on a journey to find Elisil's long lost sister, Eloriel. Eloriel left Lorien 30 years ago and went travelling. A great, descriptive prose based on Lord of the Rings, worthy to read. Note: The plot is already set.
1. Prologue

Elf Adventure  
  
Chapter 1 - Prologue  
  
4 months ago  
  
The wind blows and the mellyrn sway as Elisil sits on the lush green grass of the secluded clearing. The birds chirp happily as the rustle of the mellyrn leaves floats through the air. Elisil takes out a small handbook, entitled "The Lorien Elves' History". She starts to flip through its pages, searching for the much-needed information for her mission as a courier.  
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she sees a young elf maiden, younger than her, even. The elleth has brown locks of hair and dark, olive green eyes. Her fair skin is strikingly white. She walks silently into the little clearing, her soft boots concealing the sound of her movements on the fallen leaves. Elisil keeps the book, and looks interestedly at the maiden.  
"Mae govennan, sister. Have I seen you before?" Elisil asks oddly as she turns to face the elf. She studies her pale face and her smooth complexion. Meanwhile, the elf also studies Elisil's golden-brown hair, fine skin and deep blue eyes; her pert lips, her simple blue gown right down to her soft-soled shoes.  
Satisfied with the scrutiny, the elleth replies, "Perhaps you have seen me." Her eyes look into Elisil's. "I am frequently on duty at the Mithril gates of Lorien, being part of the Order."  
Elisil listens intently. She thinks of the times she went out of Lorien and back in, travelling back and forth. Surely, she thinks, after the years of travelling, I have seen her before. But Elisil is unable to put the elf's face into any guard she has seen before.  
"I am sorry, but I do not recognize you." Elisil's tongue is as pert as her lips; she turns away.  
"Peace, lady, I am Helcanor of the guards. And I know not your name, perhaps, you would care to share it with me?" the elf, Helcanor replies smoothly.  
"Ah! Helcanor... I have heard Lady Merilwen mention you plenty a time. You are the new guard, whom the seniors called 'Hear, hear! I am glad you joined us, Helcanor. We can always use more arrow fod - I mean, great soldiers.' " Elisil suddenly remembers Merilwen's words. "I am Elisil, Courier of the Royal Court. How feel you?"  
Helcanor is pleased. "Fine, lady, just fine. Elisil! Ah... Varya has also mentioned your name many a time."  
"Yes, yes, him...the knight I interned with...he's a wise man, though, you should hear him. But take some of his advice not, as he favours being silly..." Again, memories flood Elisil's mind. Sir Varya, the great knight. She remembers him teaching her the longbow, his advice, and all sorts of things. She finally breaks out of her reverie.  
"Helcanor...I take you as a friend. Now..."Elisil is hesitant about telling her something.  
"Yes, lady?" Helcanor asks in curiousity.  
"Such dark things should not be discussed openly. Now let us go to a House talan...there we shall discuss many things. And as a friend, I do not think it appropriate for you to call me 'lady', I would be happy for you to just say 'Elisil'." She speaks with grace.  
Elisil rises and smooths her gown. She starts of in the direction of the White Road. Helcanor follows her, realizing that the lady is far wiser than she first thought. 


	2. A Clue

Elf Adventure  
  
Chapter 2 - A Clue  
  
Helcanor takes out a cotton kerchief and wipes her sweaty brow.  
  
"Elisil, Prelate Niinaeth, the last to see Eloriel, told us to go to Eryn Lasgalen. But why are we in Mirkwood? Where is Eryn Lasgelan in the first place?" Helcanor wonders to Elisil.  
  
Elisil smiles. "Be not so curious, Helcanor, you shall soon know! But first...can you tell me where we are?"  
  
Consulting her map, Helcanor says, "I think...we are near the halls of Mirkwood, where Thranduil and the Ndaedeldhrim reside."  
  
"Indeed we are. If you want to know, the Halls of Mirkwood are also called Eryn Lasgalen. Therefore that is where we head. Now..." Elisil hesitates as she takes out Niinaeth's map. "West we should go. Now head off!"  
  
They walk westward for many hours, until Helcanor suddenly points. "Elisil, look!" Elisil turns her head in the direction Helcanor is pointing to. She sees grey iron gates. "Ah! The place of the Ndaedeldhrim! Let us turn there!"  
  
Suddenly, a rustle is heard. A tall elf, about 7'3" tall, steps out into the leafy clearing, an arrow on his bow pointing at them. His hair is bright gold, his skin fair.  
  
"Surrender, or you shall be killed!" The elf's voice thunders around the clearing.  
  
Helcanor and Elisil raise their hands up.  
  
"Who are you to come into our land, to tread our paths and to use our forest?"  
  
Elisil replies with the grace of a swan, "We are elleths of Lorien, here on a mission to find our lost sister."  
  
The elf studies them. He pays much attention to their facial features. He squints here and there, finally drawing back up. "Indeed, you are elves of the golden wood. Now pray tell me why you did not write to Thranduil my father that you were coming here."  
  
Helcanor stares at the elf in awe. "That is to say that you are Legolas, son of Thranduil?"  
  
"Nay, not so great and famous as the heir of the throne. I am Legoluin Greenleaf, second brother of Thranduil. Now..." Legoluin says proudly.  
  
"We did not think the situation here so bad that elves were not allowed in," Elisil answers Legoluin's question.  
  
"Ah...now, would you like to see my father?" Legoluin guesses their motives.  
  
Helcanor nods. "Yes, pray take us to his halls."  
  
  
  
¤  
  
Elisil and Helcanor follow Legoluin to King Thranduil's halls. He walks through many rooms and corridors, his shoes going a quiet pat-pat. They finally reach Thranduil's private study. Legoluin knocks softly on the door and opens it.  
  
"Father, these are two elves of Lorien. They come here to seek your attention." Legoluin bows and exits the room.  
  
"So, what brings you here, brethren!?" Thranduil's voice thunders across the room.  
  
Timidly, Elisil says, "We are here to find out more about Eloriel, sire."  
  
Thranduil hears this and perks up immediately. "Eloriel...what business do you have with her?" His tone is angry.  
  
This frightens both Helcanor and Elisil.  
  
"Sire, Eloriel is my friend and her sister," Helcanor says anxiously.  
  
"Is that right? Well then, tell me your names!" Thranduil's anger subsides a little, and he becomes more friendly and welcoming to the Lorien elves.  
  
Helcanor answers breathily, "I am Helcanor; and she is Elisil."  
  
"Ah...please stand. Why do you come of Eloriel?" Thranduil is curious at their wondering, for he knows that Lorien elves do not like to go out of their borders. Well, Eloriel was certaintly an odd one, he thought, it is likely her sister shares the same traits.  
  
"She has been missing many a year, for thirty and two years already, sire." Elisil is quiet about the whole matter. She remembers Eloriel's fair face, her quick, changing eyebrows and her dynamic personality. She remembers the times when Eloriel was but a baby, and herself always sitting with her, nurturing her. She remembers times when they played in the mellyrn grove, thrusting up golden leaves as they frolicked. She remembers when Eloriel first received her family ring, her face glowing, that she had finally became a formal elf of Lorien, and would be counted in the census. She remembers Eloriel crying as their mother, Alquaduin died, she remembers herself comforting her. She remembers so many things about her sister; especially those most painful. She nearly cries but manages to control herself.  
  
"Eloriel!" Thranduil sighs. "That fair maiden, with hair slightly darker than yours, Elisil - she came to our region about twenty and eight years ago. She was a wanderer, if I remember right, her face still smooth of scars of travelling, though. It was my two daughters, Elvende and Earvende, while on a hunt for a lost bow, who found her. She was lying in a sea of mellorn leaves, her face ashen, her hair messy. Her clothes were dirt-stained, but her bow was in a fine condition, beside her. Elvende and Earvende were indeed worried, for she looked on the brim of the Other World, yes, pale and dying. They carried her back to the halls, and laid her on the soft mattress of the wooden floor, in the Quiet Haven.  
  
"She slept for many days, totalling a year and two months, before her eyes opened. She needed no food, as Earvende found out, her body rejected any of ours. When she opened her eyes Earvende was sitting beside her, bathing her face with water, cooling her as she lay. When Earvende saw that she had woken up, she rejoiced, as she had tended to Eloriel herself, her joy finally awake. She kissed her on the brow and smiled.  
  
"'Who are you?' Eloriel asked.  
  
"'I am Earvende, daughter of Thranduil, King of the Ndaedeldhrim,' my daughter said gently.  
  
"'Then I must thank you for saving my life,' Eloriel said, before falling asleep again.  
  
"She woke in the morning, all refreshed. Dressed in a clean green robe, my daughter Earvende provided her with a robe of darker green. They went to the dining halls, where they were greeted, Eloriel as an honoured guest. Over the next few days, we found out that Eloriel was from the Golden Wood, as you were. She was a great joy to us, a story-teller, with a gift of healing she said ran through her family. That means that you, Elisil, would also have that gift."  
  
Elisil nods.  
  
Thranduil continues. "Eloriel also played the lyre, and provided us with songs after dinner. She was very happy to be with us. But she had a big secret that she did not tell us: she was going. Three years after she woke, Elvende found her bed empty, her wardrobe too. She had gone away forever, and has not come back since. She only left one clue where she went, and that was her kerchief, with drawings we cannot decipher."  
  
Taking out a kerchief, Thranduil says, "This was what she left behind. It may be of use to you."  
  
  
  
¤  
  
After dinner with Thranduil, Elisil and Helcanor started looking at the kerchief. In it was drawn some diagrams, with words scribbled on it. They looked at it in many directions, but still couldn't find a single clue. They worked till they were exhausted, then laid on the soft mellyrn leaf mattress in their guestroom, named Eleardor, Star-sea land. They had a very good night's sleep, and the next day, they woke up feeling cool. They were delighted at the quality of life at Eryn Lasgalen, equal to Lorien's; they had expected to rough it out.  
  
The next few months followed the same schedule, but over time, they met Earvende, and became good friends with her. 


	3. Legolos, third son of Thranduil

Elf Adventure  
  
Chapter 3 - Legolos, third son of Thranduil  
  
Elisil pores over the kerchief that the wise and aged king, Thranduil, has given them. Helcanor is with her, sleeping, her breast moving up and down to the rhythm of her quiet breathing. She studies the abstract shapes and symbols, her mind struggling to make any sense of them.  
  
Suddenly, something snaps in her mind. There! She got it. The shapes were not abstract after all! She scans through the shapes eagerly, recognizing them as shapes of maps. The symbols were just words upside down! She hurriedly figures out as much as possible...before, exhausted, she falls asleep.  
  
  
  
¤  
  
The next day, Elisil wakes up full and refreshed at day-break. She has a long bath, relaxing in the cool water, scrubbing all the dirt she has not bothered to thoroughly clean over the past few days, being too worried about the kerchief to bother about herself. Helcanor and Earvende too, she thought, they were so worried...  
  
She steps out of her bath and dries herself in front of the bathroom mirror, combing her hair. Suddenly, she is aware of someone watching her. She is alarmed, and quickly wraps herself up, and walks over to the window. There, she spots an elf.  
  
Furious, she shouts, "LEGOLOS, YOU COME OUT NOW!" Legolos, third son of Thranduil, brother of Legolas and Legoluin timidly steps out of his hiding place in the bushes. Elisil is fuming mad, and musters all her energy.  
  
Her hand come down from above, swift as a falcon, it lands on Legolos' left-hand side of the face. SMACK! Elisil slaps Legolos with all her strength that Legolos' cheek turns red immediately. The slap stings and Legolos' hands go up to nurse his painful face. His face is drained of all colour, with every single drop of blood going to the hurt spot. He starts crying silently, his tears falling down, dropping on the sweet-scented green grass of the yard. Elisil is satisfied, and turns away from a bent-over Legolos. She slams the window shut and locks it, while closing the curtains.  
  
Elisil is irritated but then, she looks at the kerchief and calms down again. She sprays some cool water on herself to cool down, and stands in front of a different mirror and starts combing her hair, getting it rid of all wrinkles, smoothening it, making her hair shine with an alluring glossiness. She dries herself and feels her smooth, fair skin. She washes her body with moisturing lotion, and softens her skin. She takes her light blue robe and dresses herself, the silk cool against her skin. She lets down her hair, now fully dried, and walks out of the bathroom.  
  
She is shocked. "What in the name of Lady Galadriel are YOU doing here?" She frowns.  
  
Legolos stands in front of her, his skin a little darker than Elisil's, but just as smooth. His facial features are handsome, his hair combed and shining. He is, for the first time Elisil has seen him, clean all over. He is dressed in a green robe, the colour of the royal family. His eyes, a dark hazel, stare into Elisil's, his lips in a slight smile.  
  
Elisil's eyes are locked into Legolos'. Suddenly, she pulls away. "After what happened this morning you dare to see me?" Elisil is seething.  
  
"Yes, Elisil, I come to see you." Legolos answers without hesitation.  
  
"And what is your reason for coming?" Elisil is annoyed.  
  
Legolos takes a long time to answer, pretending to think. "Ah, my lady..." From behind, he takes out a small bunch of rhunnen, grown exclusively in Eryn Lasgalen. "This is for you, lady, in proclamation of my love for you."  
  
"I do not accept, Sir Legolos, you know what you did." Elisil walks past Legolos, resolutely forward, never looking back. She closes the door into her sleeping quarters.  
  
Legolos stands in the hallway, his face forlorn.  
  
¤  
  
Elisil sits on her bed, thinking about Legolos' words. That prince, how dare he! She thinks, Just because he is a prince does not warrant his allowance to peek at people showering and then proclaiming his love. As if I will ever love him. Dream on. She frowns. Damn. Why can't I get him out of my mind? She picks up the kerchief that she brought back from the bathroom, and looks at it. She sees the map of Middle Earth, the names of the places: Gondor, Mordor, Rohan, Imladris, Lorien, Hobbiton, Dunland, Moria, Isengard, Bree, Weathertop, Evendim, Alqualonde, Eriador, Arnor, Mirkwood...  
  
She stares at the map for a good half hour, and her mood lifts. Tap, tap, tap. Somebody knocks on the door. Elisil crosses the room, and softly opens it.  
  
It is Earvende, her hair golden-beige. She, too, looks better in weeks. "Mae govannen, Elisil. Such a fair maiden like you is not fit for our lowly halls," she greets.  
  
"You too, Earvende, you seem to me more beautiful than ever before," Elisil replies.  
  
Earvende sits on Elisil's bed. "So, have you managed to figure out the kerchief mystery?"  
  
Elisil smiles sweetly. "Oh, yes, Earvende! After many hours of toil I have finally managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together!" She picks up the now frayed kerchief.  
  
"See, we've been looking at this the wrong way all along!" Elisil holds the kerchief gently, and flips it around. "Eloriel left many, many years ago, as you would know. Over time, the ink soaked through the fabric, leading us to believe that the bright part was the right way round. King Thranduil did not manage to read the ink on the first day of its discovery as it had been written many years before Eloriel even came into Eryn Lasgalen."  
  
Earvende looks at the kerchief. "So that it why we could not read it! Now..."  
  
Elisil points. "I have managed to read about half of it so far, as the rest is a bit smudged. Look here, we can see that Eloriel is planning to go from Lorien to Eryn Lasgalen, then out, past Lorien. So far that is all I can see. The path line gets a little hard to read after going past Lorien. But never mind, we can take our time. It is better for us to go straight to the right place than to wander from dwelling to dwelling, guessing where she went."  
  
"Indeed you are right, Elisil." Earvende's heart goes out for Eloriel, yet she does not want to lose Elisil, the only good friend she has that is near her age.  
  
Suddenly, they hear bedsheets rustling. "Ah, Helcanor, you have woken up!" Helcanor stirs and shifts herself out of bed, stretching and yawning.  
  
"Helcanor, we have deciphered the kerchief!" Elisil tells her.  
  
"Oh...great!" Helcanor sighs deeply, "let me wash up and then shall I listen to your explanation..." Helcanor walks into the hallway and to the bathroom.  
  
Elisil and Earvende burst out in fits of laughter. In a flash, Legolas pokes his head in and says, "Stop laughing, will you? You two are already adults, counted in the census. You should know better than to be so immature!" Legolas' eyes are a light hazel, a frown is on his face. "Hail Brother Legolas, Prince of Eryn Lasgalen, Son of King Thranduil, Crown Prince to the Ndaedeldhrim Throne!" Earvende proclaims.  
  
"Oh, do keep -" Legolas begins.  
  
"What's all this noise?" Legolos walks into the yard. Seeing him, Elisil blushes. "I am trying to prepare for a small Ndaedeldhrim history test my father Thranduil is going to give me. I can concentrate not with all this noise going around my study!"  
  
Just then, Legoluin appears. "Where is my dear brother Legolas? Ah! there he is. Oh...why are there so many people?" Legoluin speaks.  
  
"What a nice party we have here. Come in, guys!" Earvende says. "Now comes Elvende, my sister." She raises her voice. "Elvende! Come here!"   
  
Legolas, Legolos, Legoluin and Elvende step into the room. Helcanor comes out in her soft pink robe and joins in the 'party'.  
  
¤  
  
The party goes on, with King Thranduil being informed and agreeing to the informal gathering. Elisil is drinking a refreshing drink of the Ndaedeldhrim herbal drink Lothnen when Legolos, having finished his cup of Lothnen, comes up to her and asks, "Elisil, may I speak with you in private?"  
  
Elisil sees him and realizes that it will never end if she does not do anything. "Anything you wish, Legolos." They go into a small room furnished with many comforts at the back of the house, that only royalty are allowed to enter. Legolos locks the door.  
  
They stand in the middle of the room, on a rug, surrounded by many cushions. Legolos takes Elisil's hands in his own.  
  
"Elisil, please listen to me." Legolos is solemn.  
  
"I'm listening. Go on, Legolos, I will hear." Elisil replies to Legolos quietly.  
  
"Yes. You see, Elisil, when you first came all dirty and flushed, I immediately realized that underneath that coat of dust was a fair elf-maiden indeed. I suddenly knew the answer to all my heart's questions, for you were the one that I loved.  
  
"I knew you loved me too, but refused to admit it; I knew from the way you looked at me, it was different from what you gave to any other elf. I know that we are both not young but not yet old, we are about one thousand and five hundred years each. But my love for you is unstoppable, Elisil, yet I know you love me. Accept my love for you, Elisil, I assure that you will not regret your choice."  
  
Elisil listens to his words and knows that they are true. "Legolos, Legolos, I do not wish to get tied down yet. But yes, you are right, I do love you..." She leaves her words in a trail. Suddenly, Legolos puts his head down, and kisses Elisil on the lips. He hugs her and caresses her. Elisil realizes what is happening and returns Legolos' kiss, putting her arms round him, feeling the warmth of his body. They keep on kissing, their mouths together.   
  
After moments of eternity, they break, and Legolos says, "Forgive me for what happened this morning, will you, Elisil?"  
  
Elisil nods. "Yes, I will." They kiss again, and walk out of the room, Legolos' arm around Elisil's waist.  
  
¤  
  
The gathering ends and the royal family goes back to their quarters, while Elisil and Helcanor lie on their beds and recollect the events that had happened in the party.  
  
"You remember, it was really funny when Legoluin accidentally let Elvende pour a whole bucket of cold water on him --"  
  
"Oh yes! Remember when Earvende and Legolas competed to see who could drink the most Lothnen?"  
  
"And also when I tripped Legolos over and he started howling?"  
  
Elisil and Helcanor are so busy recounting that they do not take note of the time, until Earvende happens to drop by and tell them that the moon has already disappeared. Then, Elisil and Helcanor put on their bedclothes and go to bed, waiting for the sun to rise... 


End file.
